In a little bit over a month, mine will officially be considered a full term pregnancy. I still cannot wrap my head around it and although I have been through it once before, I feel like I am starting from zero once again. It is hard to imagine that we will have another little person added to our family unit, which will forever change our lives. So I suppose this means I have entered what it is called the nesting period. I had not given it much thought until this past week when I found myself cleaning, collecting, reading and making lists.

On top of it all, as the days are shorter and we become accustomed to our fall routine, I have been cooking and baking a lot more comfort foods. Soups, stews and easy tarts are part of our daily repertoire. I realized going through my pantry that I have not used a single sheet of gelatin in weeks, but on the other hand, I cannot keep my nut bins filled to save my life. That to me says a lot.

I was on the phone with my mom this past week when she told me about the compota de reinetas she always makes during the cold months with reineta apples, dried fruit, cinnamon and a touch of sugar. It reminded me of the smell of her kitchen and as soon as I hang up the phone, I started roasting some apples myself.

Reinetas are nearly impossible to find here, so I used Pink Ladies and Galas. They are firm, very acidic yet sweet, which make a great baking apple. I sliced them horizontally and layered them with a gluten free almond and muscovado sugar crumble and to accompany them a fall/winter favorite, marzipan ice cream.

My little boy and his best friend D. played a lot outside this week and even modeled for me. They collected pine cones, dead leaves and talked about their Halloween plans while D. tried on her new rain boots. They crack me up and I love their dynamics. We also planted new herbs like stevia, mini purple basil and feverfew, which I have never had before. I hope they last.

Place the heavy cream, whole milk and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

In the meantime, place the cubed marzipan in the food processor. When the heavy cream and milk mixture comes to a boil, remove about 1/2 cup of liquid approximately and add it to the marzipan while the food processor is running. This will break up the marzipan and turn it into a creamy paste.

Add the marzipan mixture to the saucepan with the heavy cream and return to a simmer.

In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl. Temper in the marzipan mixture while whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon (84C or 183F). Immediately strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Add the almond extract.

Cool the ice cream base over an ice bath and then refrigerate for about 4 hours. Churn in ice cream machine and freeze.

You are so going to love your new addition; enjoy these peaceful months of expectation. It’s such a wonderful time. I am excited for you.I love your “stacked” apples- such a clever way of presentation. Looks delicous.

Wonderful, warm & full of flavour Aran. Beautiful pictures as always, very fall & very comforting. Hope you rest loads in your last month, and yes, your life is certainly going to change for the better. Lovely to have a new member added to your beautiful family. Good luck…

What a tasty difference a choice of words can make — here, we always say apples are “baked”, never “roasted” — but why not? Roasted sounds yummier, more flavorful, more Fall. I want to always roast my apples now.

P.S. We’ve been wearing dotty rain boots here too — it’s the toddler fashion of choice these days — and for once it’s a practical one. :)

Oh I love pommes reinette and the picture of the apples sliced is just great.(But the apples in the top picture are not the same as the ones in the bottom pictures right? They look like crab apples). So exciting Aran, such a big countdown, I can’t wait to see the cute outfits you’re going to put on her and everything. I hope the transition is as smooth as can be.

Hilda- yes, the apples on the bottom are mini crabapples from my friend Nadia’s farm (www.laporterouge.blogspot.com). I love them! Mini, mini. Ican’t wait to dress her up either. So different than a boy right?

I love visiting here at Canelle et Vanille… Your space is so nurturing (in so many ways)… I’m exhaling totally comforted and it’s all thanks to you, Aran. So thank you. This is just the kind of post I needed on a cold, rainy night like tonight. -maria

It’s so reassuring to hear that every pregnancy is like it never happened before – although I have no doubt that the resulting bebe will be exceedingly happy to model for you as well :)Baked apples are one of my favorite desserts during the fall – so warm and comforting! And combine that with marzipan ice cream? I’m in heaven!

I’m very excited for your new baby and new life! My nephew’s little girl just turned 1 and I can’t get enough of her. Watching her learn how to walk and listening to her try to talk is just a true treasure. Take good care of yourself!